The best and brightest in Portage la Prairie were honoured Thursday night during the Best Business and Community Volunteer Awards Gala held at the William Glesby Centre.

Welcoming remarks were delivered by Chamber of Commerce President Jerry Lupkowski, Mayor Earl Porter, and MLA Ian Wishart before guests were served a dinner catered by Bill’s Sticky Fingers.

Former Portage and District Arts Centre executive director Jean Armstrong was recognized as the Arts Person of the Year; since she has retired to Thunder Bay, Ont. her award was accepted on her behalf by Chamber executive director Cindy McDonald.

http://www.portagedailygraphic.com/2012/10/18/chamber-celebrates-best-business-awards

Renaissance Brandon confirms acquisition of the Brandon Real Estate Board (BREB) located at the corner of 9th Street and Princess Avenue.

The acquisition of the building and land is the second property acquired by Renaissance Brandon as part of a greater land assemblage plan along 9th Street, Ren Brandon stated in a release Thursday morning.

Fall 2011, Renaissance Brandon learned that the Brandon Inn property owner would not be removing the property from tax sale.

The Board felt it was unlikely there would be a purchaser for the property which would result in the land being transferred to the City of Brandon through the tax sale process.

With this in mind, Renaissance Brandon purchased the Brandon Inn parking lot, a separate parcel of land, which was not subject to tax sale, as the first step toward assembling land parcels on 9th Street in order to facilitate redevelopment in the area.

http://www.brandonsun.com/breaking-news/Ren-Brandon-buys-real-estate-board-building-174781191.html?thx=y

TORONTO - The latest hiring survey issued by the Bank of Montreal (TSX:BMO) comes with a familiar complaint: Good help is hard to find.

The survey released Friday by the big Canadian bank says 73 per cent of Canadian business are confident looking ahead to 2013 and nearly one in four plan to increase the size of their workforce.

In fact, taking on new staff is a priority second only to upgrading and purchasing equipment, according to BMO's Hiring Outlook Report.

Unfortunately, businesses that participated in the poll said the No. 1 one challenge they face is finding and retaining talented employees.

Nearly half of all Canadian businesses surveyed — 47 per cent — said it now is more difficult to attract talented employees than before the economic downturn.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/business/canadian-businesses-optimistic-about-2013-one-in-four-plan-to-hire-survey-174930831.html

Economy: OTTAWA - It cost a little more to fill up at the gas pump and to buy the new winter fashions, but consumer prices remained relatively tame in September and there were few signs of price pressures in the future, Statistics Canada reported Friday.

Canada's annual inflation rate stayed at 1.2 per cent, matching the previous month and May for the lowest level in more than two years.

On a month-to-month basis, prices rose 0.2 per cent as gasoline prices climbed 2.1 per cent from August and clothing increased 6.2 per cent as retailers unveiled their fall and winter merchandise.

For the annual inflation rate, the agency said an increase in prices for gasoline and electricity were the main contributors, but they were offset by declines in the cost of purchasing motor vehicles and women's clothing.

There was still no sign of the impact of this summer's drought in the U.S. and parts of Canada on overall food prices, which in September were a modest 1.6 per cent higher than last year.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/canada/canadian-inflation-stays-at-12-per-cent-in-september-as-price-pressures-ease--174927111.html

Visitors hoping to experience some of Cape Breton’s favourite tourist attractions are walking away disappointed.

After federal budget cuts to Parks Canada, there are fewer people working at tourism hot spots, such as Fortress Louisbourg and the Alexander Graham Bell Museum.

“These people are not getting their money’s worth and I’m not happy that they’re not getting they’re money’s worth,” says tour guide Irene MacInnis. “I want tourism operated correctly, or you may as well shut her down.”

Management at Fortress Louisbourg say they’re doing what they can to maintain their 18th century feel by making sure animators are on hand on the days tour buses visit.

“If it’s a cruise ship visitor, for example, it’s pre-arranged and we’re able to staff accordingly,” says visitor experience manager Lester Marchand. “So, it’s about matching visitors’ needs with our staffing.”

http://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/parks-canada-cuts-affecting-cape-breton-tourism-1.1001374

BOSTON - Air Canada, Virgin America and Lufthansa are among the world's best airlines for in-flight entertainment, according to a list compiled by the Smarter Travel website.

Air Canada deserves credit for an "impressive selection" of free entertainment choices on its touch-screen seatback systems and for doubling the number of available movies earlier this year, says the website, which provides travel news and advice.

Virgin America's entertainment system includes a music library with about 3,000 offerings as well as "surprisingly unique capabilities" such as onboard seat-to-seat messaging and a food-and-drink ordering system.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/travel/air-canada-virgin-america-ranked-among-best-airlines-for-flight-entertainment-174837711.html

HONG KONG - The Chinese arm of U.S. casino company MGM Resorts International signed a land deal Thursday for a new casino resort in Macau, the world's biggest gambling market, hoping to catch up with the rapid expansion of rival casino operators.

MGM China Holdings Ltd. said it formally accepted a land concession contract from the Macau government for a 7.2 hectare (17.7 acre) plot in the Cotai district, an area of reclaimed land that's earmarked for all new casinos in the Asian gambling haven.

MGM China said it is paying $161.4 million for the land, including a $56.2 million down payment. The rest will be split into eight equal installments.

The company plans to build a casino resort with a "truly unique MGM experience" that will include a 1,600-room hotel, 500 gambling tables and 2,500 slot machines, MGM China said in a statement to the Hong Kong stock exchange, where its shares are traded. Parent MGM resorts is based in Las Vegas.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/travel/mgm-resorts-macau-unit-signs-deal-for-land-to-build-new-casino-in-worlds-top-gambling-market-174765721.html

Southwest Airlines eked out a small third-quarter profit in spite of a September slowdown, the company said on Thursday.

Traffic at all the big airlines fell last month. September is traditionally when vacationers wrap up summer travel by Labor Day, and business travellers get back in the air.

Southwest has been using a mix of fare increases and sales to try to get its prices to a level that travellers will pay. Last month, fares paid by business travellers were soft, CEO Gary Kelly said. Business travellers tend to pay more because they usually buy tickets closer to their departure date than vacationers.

"Business travellers were there, but it felt like we needed a little bit more aggressive pricing to entice them," he said on CNBC.

It's possible the slowdown is over. Kelly said a key measure of revenue is 4 per cent higher this month than in October 2011.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/business/southwest-posts-small-profit-after-weak-september-demand-encouraged-by-october-trends-174745661.html

(A complete article published originally in the WFP, Oct. '59)

TORONTO - Plans by an international syndicate to establish duty - free shops on the Canada-United States border were protested Friday by retail merchants who fear their businesses would be undermined.

The first shop is due to open July next year near the Ivy Lea Bridge on Hill Island, one of the Thousand Islands in the St Lawrence River. Another is planned near Niagara Falls.

Possibility of extending the shops to Manitoba would depend on the success of the first ones, a syndicate spokesman said.

Non-Canadian tourists will be able from to select imported goods samples and have duplicates mailed to their homes from a bonded warehouse.  They will pay no Canadian sales, excise or customs taxes.  They will present receipted sales slips and customs declarations at the border.

A spokesman for the syndicate said the scheme had been cleared by the customs and excise authorities.  He said the shops would operate on similar lines to the duty-free shops at the airports at Shannon, Ireland, and Paris.

Some Canadian merchants would be hard hit by the shops, said James Clark sales manager for the Retail Merchants' Association of Canada.  He said he found it hard to believe that they would be allowed by the Canadian and US governments.

In its latest edition, the Financial Post reported that the syndicate - of Canadian. British and U.S. firms - aims at taking advantage of the US customs law which says US visitors to Canada can take back $200 worth of goods duty free after 48 hours in Canada, $500 worth duty free after a visit of more than 12 days.  It is honed the Hill Island and Niagara Falls shops will do about $6,000,000 worth of business by 1962.

The shops will carry Canadian items such as Hudson Bay blankets and Eskimo carvings.  But the big sales are expected to be imported European luxury goods such as French perfume, German cameras and British textiles.

John David, a former British civil servant, is the innovator of the plan.  He is president of Hill Island Ltd. and of International Resort Facilities Ltd. a subsidiary which will actually operate the "freeshops," the Post said.  Behind Hill Island is a syndicate headed by Empire Trust of New York, and Close Brothers of London.